(Stereotactic) radiosurgery XIX: spinal radiosurgery--two year experience in a UK centre

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Modern image-guided radiotherapy allows precise treatment of extracranial targets.
• Spinal radiosurgery offers a minimally invasive treatment option for spinal lesions.
• This report details the initial two years of spinal radiosurgery experience in a UK center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of spinal radiosurgery for primary and metastatic spinal lesions.
• To assess local control rates, overall survival, and pain improvement.
• To report on the early UK experience with this advanced radiotherapy technique.

Main Methods:

• Patients with primary or metastatic spinal tumors were treated with CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery.
• Xsight Spine fiducial-free tumor tracking software was utilized in all treatments.
• Treatments were delivered in single or three-fraction schedules between February 2009 and March 2011.

Main Results:

• Fifty-three spinal lesions (14 primary, 39 metastatic) were treated.
• Ninety-one percent local control and 65% overall survival were observed at median 11.1 months follow-up.
• Seventy-five percent of symptomatic metastases showed pain improvement at 6 months; 59% of patients had no acute side effects.

Conclusions:

• Spinal radiosurgery is a well-tolerated treatment with high local control rates.
• Early UK data suggest radiosurgery is a viable option for spinal tumors.
• Further long-term prospective studies are required to define its role in the UK.